Chapter 62: Let's Talk

Zhong Yuan and the other two did not leave the villa immediately.

After Chen Mingjiang and his group departed, Zhong Yuan took Zhong Da back into the villa to set a few fires. Only after making sure that the flames would consume everything that needed to be burned did they finally leave.

Following that, they headed north toward Wang Wei. After spending half the night in the outskirts of Wang Wei, they entered Wang Wei Town the next morning at nearly ten o'clock.

Wang Wei Town is close to Krabi Province, and many tourists come here to visit.

Blending in among the tourists and walking down the street, Zhong Yuan and his companions did not stand out at all.

After strolling for a while and having lunch, the three of them found a small motel and rented a room.

Just as before, Xiao Hua went in first to open the room, while Zhong Da and Zhong Yuan found an opportunity to slip in afterward.

Regarding the events of the previous night, it was uncertain whether Lin Zhonghai had passed along the news of their appearance. Even if Lin Zhonghai had not, the people from the Buddha Hand Gang would eventually track them down.

Whether it was the matter concerning Ai Kun or the one involving Lin Zhonghai, leaving absolutely no trace was impossible. However, if it were only about Ai Kun—given that Songkhla Province was deep and murky with various intertwined factions—the Buddha Hand Gang would most likely not have suspected them of orchestrating his disappearance, and thus certain details might have been overlooked during the investigation.

Yet, with Lin Zhonghai's incident following immediately after, the people of the Buddha Hand Gang would surely connect the two events. In that case, the previously ignored details would be brought out and scrutinized again, and through comparison, discovering them would not be difficult.

Even so, this outcome was already within Zhong Yuan's expectations.

According to his plan, once Lin Zhonghai was dealt with, he had to strike while the iron was hot and immediately proceed to the next step. Moreover, this step had to be fast, accurate, and ruthless, and the target chosen could not be too weak. Only in this way could they deal the Buddha Hand Gang the heaviest blow, making every single stall boss of the gang tremble in their boots at the mere mention of his name!

However, with Chen Mingjiang emerging as an unexpected variable, the original plan would probably have to be suspended for now.

Zhong Yuan estimated that Chen Mingjiang would certainly seek him out within the next couple of days.

Before that happened, though, he needed to have a serious talk with Xiao Hua.

Nightfall.

After sending Zhong Da out on an errand, Zhong Yuan called out to Xiao Hua, who was just about to head out to buy dinner.

He opened two bottles of beer and handed one to Xiao Hua as the young man walked over.

Xiao Hua took the bottle, looked at Zhong Yuan, and blinked in bewilderment: "Brother Yuan, is something wrong?"

Zhong Yuan gestured for him to sit down first.

Feeling uneasy under this atmosphere, Xiao Hua carefully perched on the edge of a nearby bed and tentatively asked, "Brother Yuan, if you have something to say, just spit it out. Acting like this makes me feel unsettled and nervous!"

Hearing this, Zhong Yuan could not help but laugh. The young man hadn't looked nervous at all during last night's tense situation, yet he was panicking now. Who knew how the gears in this kid's brain actually turned!

"No need to be nervous, I just wanted to chat with you casually." Pausing slightly, Zhong Yuan continued, "What are your thoughts on last night's events?"

Xiao Hua blinked, thinking earnestly. After a moment, he scratched the back of his head, offered a somewhat self-deprecating smile, and said, "Brother Yuan, I don't really have any thoughts. I don't understand these kinds of things anyway. I'll just do whatever you tell me to do. I listen entirely to you and Brother Da!"

Looking at his sincere expression, Zhong Yuan felt a mild headache coming on.

In some ways, this kid really was quite similar to Zhong Da!

He stared at Xiao Hua for a while, making the young man look so fidgety he might as well have been sitting on needles, before speaking again: "Xiao Hua, you are not the same as Da Zi and me. There is nothing wrong with an ordinary life, and if you choose to return to China now, you still have the chance. I can have Chen Mingjiang arrange for you to go back. Once you're back, whether you want to start a small business or find an ordinary job, I can arrange that for you too. You can fall in love, get married, and have children—living a simple life for the rest of your days, just like countless ordinary people..."

At this point, Xiao Hua's expression began to shift. He furrowed his brows slightly, his look of bewilderment deepening, accompanied by a touch of panic.

Zhong Yuan took it all in but did not stop: "You should have experienced the danger involved in last night's events. Even if your life isn't on the line, there will be other risks. If you continue to follow us, things like this will happen again. Next time, I might not even be able to guarantee your safety. Therefore, I want you to think this through carefully."

The panic on Xiao Hua's face gradually gave way to a complex emotion. This complexity seemed to have little to do with what Zhong Yuan was saying, as the young man had zoned out, drifting off into some distant memory.

A moment later, he abruptly snapped back to reality and replied without the slightest hesitation: "Brother Yuan, I don't want to go back."

Zhong Yuan frowned slightly. Staring at him for two seconds, he asked, "Why?"

Xiao Hua thought for a moment, shrugged, and said, "I'm an orphan to begin with. Going back means being alone, but here, at least I have you guys keeping me company. Besides, I feel like this kind of life..." He paused, glanced sideways at Zhong Yuan, and continued somewhat bashfully, "...is pretty thrilling!"

Thrilling?

It certainly was thrilling!

Zhong Yuan felt a sense of helplessness.

At that moment, Xiao Hua added, "Of course, if Brother Yuan really doesn't want me around, going back is fine too."

Zhong Yuan cast a surprised glance at him. The kid had actually learned how to play hardball with him!

"Brother Yuan, don't worry. Though I might be carefree, I'm not entirely clueless. From the moment I decided to stay, I considered every possible thing that could happen. When I was a little kid, I always looked forward to growing up because I was afraid I wouldn't even get the chance. Now that I've grown up, every single day I live is a bonus. Even if I were to die someday, I wouldn't have any regrets! So, you and Brother Da just go ahead and do whatever you need to do. I'll just handle the odd jobs and run errands. You don't need to weigh yourself down with too many concerns; I'll take full responsibility for my own life or death!" Xiao Hua lifted his chin slightly to look at Zhong Yuan. The absolute earnestness in his eyes filled Zhong Yuan with a sudden surge of unexpected respect for this young man whom he barely knew.

Previously, he had only considered Xiao Hua carefree, but hearing these words and looking back at the boy's past behavior, it was far beyond being carefree—it was a fearless indifference to life and death.

Since things had reached this point, Zhong Yuan had no choice but to temporarily shelve the idea of sending him back.

In truth, Xiao Hua's presence could not be called entirely useless to him, but at the same time, it was a heavy responsibility. Unlike Zhong Da, who shared a foundation of affection and history with Xiao Hua, Zhong Yuan had none. Bearing such a responsibility on his shoulders was far from comfortable.

The conflict between them and the Buddha Hand Gang would only grow increasingly fierce. Their operations would not always go so smoothly, and their situations would become more and more perilous.

Xiao Hua's martial arts skills were mediocre; once they found themselves at a disadvantage, Xiao Hua could practically be considered a liability to them.

Yet, he could not disregard Zhong Da's feelings, nor could he remain indifferent to Xiao Hua's life or death.

That was why he had used Xiao Hua as a decoy the previous night—aside from the fact that Xiao Hua was the most suitable candidate, he had also harbored the intention of making the boy back down from difficulty. Never had he expected that this kid knew no fear and would utter such words to him. In the end, it only made Zhong Yuan feel a bit like a petty villain.